Mahela Jayawardene craves for Delhi street food

Delhi Daredevils batsman Mahela Jayawardene plays a shot during the T20 League match against Mumbai Indians at Firozshah Kotla stadium in New Delhi. PTI

Delhi Daredevils captain Mahela Jayawardene, 35, says he is a big foodie and wishes to have proper Delhi food.

“Delhi is a lovely place and I’ve always enjoyed being here, thanks to the delicious food it serves. I am craving to try Delhi street food. Although I had visited a few eateries in Delhi last year, I couldn’t go to the ones that are famous for their fiery flavours,” says the cricketer in an exclusive interview.

“I’ve many friends in Delhi. Hopefully, I’ll go to some good food joints with them this time,” he adds.

About Virender Sehwag, the opener of the Delhi Daredevils team, who has been criticised for his poor form lately, Jayawardene says, “Viru is a very talented player. As a non-striker, watching him bat from the other side feels great. It’s fun opening the innings with him and it’s good to have him back in the team after his injury. He is now getting back to his usual rhythm.”

Jayawardene has led the Sri Lankan cricket team in the past, but says leading Delhi Daredevils is a different ball game altogether. “The dynamics and challenges are different when you are captaining a domestic T20 team. I know the results haven’t been great but we have played good cricket.”

Asked if he has picked up some Hindi words from the Indian players, Jayawardene says, “Yes, a few, but I cannot say them in public!”

‘Cricket is not easy’

Though Sri Lankan cricketer Mahela Jayawardene has been playing international cricket for a long time and has carved a niche for himself, the 35-year-old still finds cricket challenging.

When asked which format comes easier to him — T20, ODI or test matches — Jayawardene said, “Playing cricket is always hard, there is no such thing as easy and tough. As a cricketer you get more challenged in test cricket as you need to do well mentally as well as physically. In T20, you tend to enjoy more because the game is fast and furious and you don’t have the time to think.”

In his time off, he enjoys “spending time with family and friends because I hardly get time to do that. Also, I play a bit of golf,” said Jayawardene, who was recently seen in the Capital at an Adidas store.

Talking about the pranksters in his team, Jayawardene said, “There are a few guys in the team... David (Warner) is one. The Indian guys are pretty quiet, but the quiet ones are always the dangerous ones, you have to look out for them.”